New Year’s Wish

A boy sets out to get lucky but finds himself in a ticklish situation

The Wish for the New Year.

Part 1: the game

It was just a few minutes until the start of the new year, the night sky was filled with stars and the cold night air combined with the wind chilled to the bone. The sound of the wind whistled as if calling the new year to start. On the top of this lone mountain stood a shrine that once had been the jewel of the town below but as with all things it time had turned it into an old wives tale. However tonight it would receive its first visitor in over 300 hundred years.

A lone shape slowly walked up the broken path leading up to the abandoned temple, it belonged to an 18 year old named Hiro. He was about to begin his final year at the local high school, unfortunately he was not as academically gifted as his sister or most of his friends. Hiro had grown up listening to the tales of this temple and the legends, his grandmother had told him that those who brave the temple on the new year will be blessed with great fortune. Needless to say at this point Hiro was willing to give anything a chance. As he finally reached the peak of the mountain, Hiro let out a gasp and took in a deep breath before collapsing on the ground at the large red gates.
“Well at least the temple is actually here.”, he said with a tone of surprise and exhaustion.

The boy laid on the ground for another minute before slowly standing to his feet. He wore a pair of brown hiking boots and a large black down jacket over top of his school uniform, he had worn his uniform in hopes it would bless his school year, though he had no reason to support this theory other than his own hair brained idea. He slowly bowed at the large red gates before crossing over the threshold.
“Welcome, welcome!”, roared a loud boisterous voice. “Welcome to the temple of Yamashiro and Happy New Years!”, proclaimed the voice.

Hiro immediately fell backwards landing on his butt. “Hello?”, he replied confused and slightly scared. “Im sorry, I thought this place was abandoned.”
He looked around the shrine like every other shrine, two dogs guarding the entrance right past the gates, a broken stone pathway and a large shrine sitting at the end of the pathway. But there sitting at the entrance sat a large figure, it had to be at least 2 or more meters tall. The frame was massive like what you would see from a bodybuilder or 80’s action hero.
“My name is Hiro, I have traveled here from the town below in hopes to receive a blessing for the new year.”

The figure chuckled before looking directly into Hiro’s eyes. “I know why you have come, though you are the first to visit me in many centuries. However, I have become quite bored in my solitude. You will receive your blessing but you must present your tribute first.”

“Tribute? The stories never said a tribute. I don't have anything to offer you.” Hiro spoke in a trembling voice now slowly feeling the feeling of terror rising in his body. He clenched his hands and quickly began to think of anything he could offer to the stranger. Suddenly he had an idea. He quickly began to unlace his hiking boots and took them off frantically. They were relatively new and had no smell. He removed his left and then his right before he stood there in only a pair of wool socks.
“I present to you these strong hiking boots that will serve you well.” He said as he bowed his head while presenting the boots.

The figure sat there before beckoning the boy to come closer. “Come closer so I may inspect your tribute.”

Hiro stepped closer and closer until the figure was now in full view. What sat there was no man, he resembled an ogre with blue skin and long white hair, piercing yellow eyes staring down from his stern brow. He had a muscular frame and wore a large white kimono adorned with various patterns and a golden sash around his waist.
“This tribute is small, are these items truly valuable?” Said the giant inquisitive. “What off your feet they seem cold and soft, like a woman’s feet.” With that he grabbed the boy by his ankle causing him to drop to the ground hard.

“Ouch” , Said Hiro as he hit the ground hard before looking up at the giant now inspecting his foot. “My feet are quite manly thank you very much”, he responded with an almost offended tone.

The giant slowly peeled off Hiro’s sock exposing his long foot, unfortunately his foot was milky white and quite soft. Actually his feet were often told they resemble his mother’s feet which if he were a girl would have been a compliment.
“Are you sure these resemble a young maiden who used to attend this shrine. I wonder if your feet will do the same as her did?” He said before extended one of his fingers and began to stroke Hiro’s bare foot.
Suddenly Hiro burst into laughter as this caught him off, he began to pull at his foot trying to escape. Meanwhile the giant smiled gleefully as he began to use all five fingers to stroke the boy’s foot.
“Haha please hahaha that tickles hahaha so much.” Hiro was filling the shrine with laughter as the giant's fingers danced all over his soft arches. “Haha what about hahaha my tribute?”

The giant chuckled as he continued to tickle Hiro’s bare foot. His finger going under the toes and down the arches, then back up to the toes again. “This foot is even softer then the maiden’s feet but the are just as fun. Maybe ill take this experience as my tribute.” The giant said with great joy. “Oh how fun this is.”

Hiro continued to buck and squirm as he felt the fingers tickling his feet, laughter pouring from his mouth. “Haha this is my tribute haha please hahah stop haha this tickles so much haha.” His toes clenched and spread as if trying to avoid the cruel fingers.

“Maybe we will continue this game of ours until this hour glass expires.” And with that he pulls out a small hour glass and places it next to him, before resuming his torment of Hiro’s foot.

Hiro sat there laughing trying hard to think of a way to endure this or escape. His toes squirming frantically. Then he remembered that his mother’s feet were just as ticklish and soft. “Hahaha what if hahah i offer someone else’s feet hahaha. A beautiful woman hahaha for example.” Hiro screamed out through his laughter.

The giant stopped suddenly and slowly laid his foot on the cold wooden platform. “And where might this woman be?” He said staring at the boy carefully.

“My mother, ummmm…her feet are softer and maybe just as ticklish. I will offer her feet to you,...as tribute”, Hiro said stuttering from the cold and relentless tickling he had just endured. His eyes staring up at the giant.

“You would sacrifice your mother’s feet to me in place of your own, so that you might receive a blessing. Hahah you are a cruel one boy.” He said with a chuckle.

“No not cruel, a mother is to support her children so they might succeed and that is what this would be.” He said trying to not only convince the giant but himself that this is true.
“Besides, it is only til your hour glass runs out and not forever. So please tickle her beautiful feet instead.”

“Ok, i accept your terms but I will not tickle her feet, but you will.” The giant stands up and slowly walks over to the tithe box before pulling off the lid. “You will reach in this box and pull out her feet, then you will tickle the maiden’s feet til the hour glass expires.”

Hiro reluctantly walks up the steps and stops in front of the box and looks down into what seems like an endless black void. “Reach in and pull her feet forth.”
He puts his hands down and wiggles his hands around until he feels something, they feel like a pair of feet. He quickly grabs the ankles and pulls then up until suddenly there are two feet sticking out of the box. He stares hard at them, sure enough they are his mother’s feet.

“You may begin now, remember to make it good or it is you again.”, the giant said in a mocking tone. Hiro wasted no time, as soon as the hourglass flipped he put his fingers to her feet. Almost immediately laughter could be heard from the box. He hand one hand at each foot, his fingers stroked her arches, they were incredibly soft. The soft feeling only seemed to encourage his tickling, her toes wiggled and spread as her feet kicked but seemed locked in place.

He slowly moved his fingers up and down as the giant had done to his feet, her feet felt great and he was in a trance now. Hiro used one hand to hold her toes back and tickled under her toes. Laughter streamed from the box.
“Hahaha please hahaha stop haahhaa it tickles hahaha ill do hahaha anything.”
“Sorry but you want me into a good school then you have to endure or enjoy it” Hiro replied as if mocking her.

Then something came over him and he leaned over and began to lick her arches with his tongue this caused an new kind of laughter before her remembered these feet belonged to his mother. He resumed to tickle her with his fingers, this continued until he heard the giant speak.
“Your tribute has been accepted”

Suddenly Hiro awoke in his bed, he blicked a few times before looking around. Strangely enough he was in his school uniform but his left sock was missing and in his hand was a charm. On it was an image of an oni holding up four fingers and underneath read “a wish for a tribute”. Hiro stood up and quickly changed into his lounge clothes before heading downstairs for the new years mochi. As he was halfway down the stairs he heard his mother speaking, “Yea i had a weird dream last night, Hiro was tickling my feet and all I could do was laugh and beg.” This caused Hiro to freeze in terror.